


wishing i'd stayed (my tears ricochet)

by inlovewithimpossibility



Series: olicity x folklore [5]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - World War II, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Homecoming, Inspired by Taylor Swift, Miss Swift Owns Me, Song: my tears ricochet (Taylor Swift), World War II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:27:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inlovewithimpossibility/pseuds/inlovewithimpossibility
Summary: returning from the eastern front is a joyous day for oliver after years of harsh war, but he also must deal with the fact that home is not what it once was[part five of the folklore series]
Relationships: Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak
Series: olicity x folklore [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875232
Comments: 30
Kudos: 133





	wishing i'd stayed (my tears ricochet)

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, long time no see, I know! The good news is, it's for positive reasons this time, which you know, has been sorely needed in this absolutely awful year. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this next installment in my series inspired by taylor swift's folklore, this one based off of my tears ricochet. I'm not too sure I've stuck close to my original concept or the tone of the song in this one but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless! If you do and are so inclined, I'd really appreciate it if you left a kudos and/or comment, they really do make my day!

Home. 

It feels simultaneously freeing and terrifying to step off of the train onto the platform and cross the precipice from war to peacetime. 

Oliver isn’t the man he was when he left in so many ways. He’s older and he’s seen so many monstrosities, committed so many monstrosities... it seems so odd to simply step onto the platform and go back to his life the way it used to be. 

At the same time, there are so many parts of his old life that he’s desperate to return to. They’re the things that kept him going through this awful war, the things that allowed him to hold onto hope that he would take this train back to Starling. Thea and his mother and John and Tommy and Felicity... oh good lord, Felicity. 

He doesn’t have the words to explain how much he has missed his wife. Sleep would only come with thoughts of her, her blonde hair shining like a halo in the morning light, the way her lips, so often painted the same shade of red as the poppies on the ground, curve up when she smiles, and the lilting sound of her laugh, so melodic and beautiful. The only symphony that can simultaneously move Oliver to tears and dance. How many nights did he cry silently in his bunk at the front, dreaming only of the day he would see her face once more? How many days did he muster the courage to jump over the trench line to face the Germans purely with the thought of the bliss that would come with holding her in his arms once more? 

She’s always been his guiding light, the star to bring him home, and nothing has changed. Not in that regard. 

It’s with the thought of her once more that he manages to build up the strength to step onto the platform. Away from the somber mood of the train onto the jubilant atmosphere of the train station where women weep as they reunite with children and husbands and children run, filled with a joy that only peace can bring. It’s electric, the way the people thrum with pure energy and Oliver finds himself swept up in it, a smile spreading across his face as he wriggles his way through the crowds of people. 

It’s chaos but in a far different way than the front was. This is chaos brought on by hope and joy, not fear and pain, and it’s the most welcome sight to Oliver’s weary bones. 

Well... the second most welcome sight, he tells himself as finally... finally... Felicity comes into view. 

She’s stood underneath the train station sign, in almost the exact same spot she was when he kissed her goodbye three years ago. She looks every bit as radiant as he remembers, her bright blue coat and hat the perfect reflection of the color of her eyes. She hasn’t spotted him yet, and he watches as she rises onto her toes in her heeled shoes, clearly searching for a sign of him, and Oliver’s smile grows tenfold... she’s so beautiful and she’s... she’s home. He’s home. 

He gets to be with her once more. 

That makes every terrifying experience at the front almost worth it. 

“Now I don’t know what’s better about this moment,” Oliver comments as he slowly approaches, his voice and body far calmer than he feels. He delights in the way Felicity’s eyes snap to him, amazement and disbelief covering her face, “Seeing your beautiful face or knowing that I don’t have to ever leave it again.” 

“Oliver,” Felicity sighs and Oliver swears he would hear nothing else other than the sound of his name on her lips for the rest of his life and he would die a happy man. 

There’s so much in those two syllables. They’re so loaded, so full of stress, relief, hope, worry, disbelief, amazement, and love. A whole magnitude contained within the simple utterance of his name. He almost doesn’t feel worthy of hearing it. 

“Felicity,” He whispers back just as reverently and with that, she’s pushing off of the wall and rushing over towards him. His bag drops to the floor without a second thought and finally... finally... after three long years, he’s holding her in his arms. 

His arms wrap around her lithe waist, his nose falling into the same familiar spot where her neck meets her shoulder. He breathes her in and just the feel of her immediately soothes his aching bones. He realizes with startling clarity that this is all he’s been waiting for. He doesn’t need anything past this moment, this right here is all he needs. 

“Oliver... oh my lord, I...” Felicity trails off, her hands clutching at his coat, and Oliver sighs, trying to sink into her even further. 

“This is all I’ve been fighting for,” He whispers into her neck and Oliver is critically aware of the way she shivers as his breath runs down her neck. 

He’s reminded immediately of the early days of their relationship when both of them were so unused to the warm touch of another. When everything was new and exciting and after everything Oliver’s been through in the past year, the thought of anything being that exciting again is almost unbelievable but so incredibly welcome. 

“I missed you so much,” He continues, knowing that they’ve been enclosed in each other’s arms for far longer than would probably be deemed acceptable but he can’t bring himself to care right now.

“I missed you, more than you could ever know,” Felicity sighs and Oliver reluctantly lets her go as she pulls back, despite his want to just pull her back in and not let her go. 

“Your letters, they’re what kept me going,” Oliver sighs, reaching up to tuck a strand of her perfectly coiffed blonde hair behind her ear. He smiles as Felicity immediately nuzzles into the feeling, seeking out the warmth and affection. 

“Yours kept me going too,” She comments softly and Oliver can see the truth shining in her eyes. Just as she goes to rise onto her toes, two men come rushing past and brush Felicity. Oliver spots the immediate change in her, the judgment that usually occurs from being found in a comprising situation, even with your spouse, clearly at the forefront of her mind. She clears her throat and steps back a little, brushing invisible lint off of her dress. “There’s an, um… there’s a celebration at Town Hall, I didn’t know if you wanted to go.” 

“Would you like to?” Oliver immediately counters, truly wanting to know her opinion. He just wants to be where she is, whether that’s in a room full of people or just the two of them. Well… there’s clearly a favorable option there but Oliver would happily enjoy a town function with Felicity by his side if that’s what she wants. 

“Honestly?” She asks, looking up at him through her eyelashes in that way that Oliver swears he will never take for granted again. 

“Always,” He answers immediately, knowing that no matter how hard it may be to hear, he wants to hear the truth from his wife. He’s never been the kind to want the type of wife society deems to be ‘perfect’, the tales men would tell of their ladies at the front would sometimes make Oliver squirm. He never wanted a servant for a wife, which is a good thing because the suggestion of such would most definitely earn him a smack from Felicity, but he did want a partner, an equal, and he thanks his lucky stars every day that that’s what he got with Felicity. 

“The only place I want to be right now is home with you,” Felicity smiles a little shyly and Oliver’s heart leaps at her words, so grateful to hear that she doesn’t want to spend the evening mingling. He wants to see their home, to settle into their living room, to cuddle up with their dog, Archer, and finally say that he has returned. 

“Then let’s go home,” He grins and Felicity nods, holding her gloved hand out in offering and Oliver does not hesitate to slide his hand into hers. He wishes for a brief moment that her hands were bare, even though he knows they would never be in such a public place as this. He just craves the feeling of her bare skin against his after so long. 

_There will be all the time in the world for that,_ he reminds himself as he allows her to lead him through the train station and out into the town they call home. 

It’s incredibly odd to Oliver to see Starling just as he remembers it. To him, everything is so different, his worldview has been so fundamentally changed by his time in France that he cannot believe how _same_ Starling seems. The children still run through the streets, the small stores that line the town center still thrum with energy, and it almost seems as if the harsh touch of war hasn’t managed to sweep its dirty brush over his hometown. 

He knows that is not true, of course. Felicity’s letters have been full of hope and love (purposefully, he knows, in order to boost his own spirits) but the letters he received from Thea and his mother belied the true nature of what home has been like for the past three years. He knows that with almost all of the healthy men at the front and the rationing that’s been introduced due to food shortages, it’s been an eerie and scary time. He’s curious about what the next months will look like for them here, but he knows that he’d much rather be here than in the cold, damp atmosphere of the trenches with the possibility of death on the horizon every hour. 

Oliver cannot help but smile as they walk down the street towards their house. He’s dreamt of walking hand in hand with his wife for so long and to know that this is a reality and not just a dream is so beautiful to him. 

His smile spreads into a grin when they enter through the small gate at the front of the house and the sound of Archer at the window hits his ear. The Labrador is perched at the front window, his tail wagging away as he barks loudly at the sight of Oliver. Oliver looks over at Felicity, a hopeful grin on his face and Felicity smiles, shaking her head amusedly before she releases Oliver’s hand to allow him to rush into the house. He’s so excited at the thought of finally reunited with his furry best friend that he doesn’t notice the way Felicity freezes, emotion overcoming her expression, as they step into their home and step back towards normality finally. 

As soon as he’s through the threshold, Archer is in his arms and Oliver is on his back. Oliver laughs as Archer barks happily, the two of them rolling around the floor as Archer licks all over Oliver’s face, clearly very happy to be reunited with his best friend once more. 

“Your mother already called to say that she’ll be here tomorrow,” Felicity comments as she sheds her coat once the pair on the hallway floor have calmed a little. Archer flops across his lap, clearly not intending on moving any time soon. 

“I assumed as much. I’m surprised she allowed us this grace, to be honest,” Oliver counters with a small chuckle, raising his eyebrow when a familiar blush covers Felicity’s cheeks and she looks away pointedly. 

“There might have been a slight disagreement on that front,” She shrugs a little, and Oliver chuckles, moving Archer just a few inches so that he can stand and make his way over to his wife. He knows that Felicity and his mother have never been the best of friends, his wife certainly isn’t who his mother would’ve picked but they’ve grown to at least tolerate one another, though Felicity certainly never gives in. 

“That’s my girl,” He smiles as he approaches, unable to stop himself as he reaches out, his hands cupping her face. Felicity shivers in the same way she did at the train station, trepidation clear in her eyes and Oliver frowns, never wanting to incite fear in the woman he loves so dearly. “What’s wrong?” 

Felicity frowns for a moment and Oliver drops his hands from her face, allowing her the time to think and process before she speaks. His heart sinks as she finally does, reality setting into his idyllic homecoming like a lead balloon. 

“I just… I dreamt of this moment for so long, what it would be like when you finally came home to me and I… I don’t know what to do. Suddenly, I’m faced with all these emotions, all these things that I may not have even fully understood I was feeling at the time.” 

“Such as?” Oliver questions, his eyes searching over her face as he tries to get a read on how she’s feeling. It’s startling to him, to not be able just instinctively know her emotions. She’s always been an open book to him, something within him has just always intuitively known her and how to help. Now, however, it’s like there’s a mask hiding her truth from him and Oliver is very decidedly not a fan. 

“Anger… at you, for enlisting, for leaving me here all alone in this house with your mother on the doorstep every day and no way of knowing if you’d come home to me and the fear every single day that the officers arriving in town to deliver bad news would knock on our doorstep,” She begins, her voice speeding up to a slight ramble once she starts going and despite the subject of her words, Oliver allows himself a slight breath when he realizes that she still does _that_ at the very least. 

“Felicity…” He tries, a heavy sigh sinking through his entire body as he tries to process her words. All this time, he’s been thinking of himself and how much he’s longed to return to her. He knows it’s incredibly selfish of him to not have considered how hard this must have been on all of her as well. He knows that life didn’t just continue as normal back home but he almost deluded himself into hoping it would, purely to allow himself peace of mind that she was okay and he would return to their life as it had been before he left. 

“And that’s just so selfish of me too because I knew _why_ you had to go and I knew you would, the second we entered the war, I knew you would fight but I… I wish you had spoken to me about it before you came home with those enlistment papers that day,” Felicity continues as if he never spoke, gasping for breath as tears spring to her eyes. Oliver feels his own coming on as he looks at her, the sight of her in any sort of distress truly painful to him. It shoots through him with a velocity more painful than any bullet and guts him right at his core, knowing that he made the lightest part of his life sad enough to cry. 

“Why did you not tell me any of this?” He finds himself asking, thinking back to her letters full of idle chitchat and bad jokes that had brought him so much joy in those miserable days in the cold, damp mud. He knew she was editing her letters in an attempt to cheer him but he had no idea how much and the reality of it all is gutting. 

Felicity blinks, freezing for a moment before another bout of tears slips down her cheeks. They travel with the speed and efficiency of a bullet, causing their own destruction through the smooth landscape of her cheeks, flying off of her chin to land on her décolletage, which Oliver realizes with a jolt is adorned with the necklace he gave her on their first wedding anniversary, just a week before he left. The small arrow charm, complete with a small emerald nestled between the fletching, had seemed so perfect at the time but it clenches at his heart now, making him wonder if they can ever return to the easiness they had with each other that day. 

“When was I supposed to tell you? When you came home that day to tell me you were leaving the next morning for basic training? In a letter being shipped half the world away to a place filled with so much despair that it has fundamentally changed an entire generation? I’ve read the studies, Oliver, I couldn’t add to your fear,” She shakes her head, swallowing thickly as she attempts to get a handle on her breath as it begins to head north of a normal rate. 

“You… you’ve been feeling like this since I left?” Oliver questions, feeling like his own throat is closing in on him. To think that he’s caused her so much pain, it’s unimaginable. He just wants to go back and reverse it. 

“Oliver, I know that the front was full of unimaginable horrors and that you had to do inconceivable things in the name of our country, and whilst you were there, I couldn’t bear the thought of adding to that pain and I thought I could just ignore it once you returned home to me but being faced with you… it hurts, more than ever,” Felicity sighs and Oliver feels a breath of relief flood through him as she reaches out for his hands. He grips onto her as if she’s the only real thing in the world, their fingers entwining. 

“Felicity, I did what I had to do,” He tells her, reminding himself more than anything else and her expression positively melts as she nods, the tears continuing to fall down her cheeks. 

“I know that, and I cannot begrudge the sacrifice you made to do that, but I also cannot stand here and pretend that these years have not been utterly hellish for me as well,” She explains softly, sniffling a little when her eyes meet his. Oliver sighs, nodding his head. He understands where she’s coming from and he also gets how hard it must be to be confronted with all of this emotion now, after shoving it down for so much time. He won’t begrudge her feeling like this, he can’t, it’s totally understandable, but he’s scared for what it means. 

“So what does that mean now?” He asks, feeling a little like a lost child as he stares into her eyes. 

“I just… I’m going to need some time, Oliver, to process this all in my mind. I… I do not wish to ruin your homecoming but I just… this is going to be a big adjustment for me as well,” She explains softly, letting go of one of his hands to wipe her tears. Her makeup smudges on the white satin of her gloves that she hasn’t even had the time to remove yet and Oliver’s heart shudders as he stares at the stain on the bright white fabric. 

“I understand, whatever you need,” He nods, unable to resist leaning in to press a single kiss to her forehead. He feels the way she shudders, her hand fisting in the fabric of his coat for just a moment as she clings to him before they both take a deep breath and step back. 

He’s home, but Oliver is beginning to wonder what cost that has come with. 

* * *

The next few days are extremely odd for Oliver. 

He thought that coming home would mean a return to his old life but he soon learns that his old life isn’t exactly there anymore. 

He wakes with the crack of dawn, something implemented in him from the front that he knows will not be going away any time soon. What is odd about it, however, is the fact that he awakens to an already empty bed. 

Felicity was never a morning person, always wanting to sleep until the last possible moment she could before she had to pull herself away from the warm sheets to begin getting ready to head to the university where she lectures. 

That, it seems, is a thing of the past. 

By the time Oliver has wrapped a dressing gown over his pajamas and headed downstairs, he finds Felicity in the kitchen, toast in the oven, and eggs boiling in a pan on the stove. That’s the other huge adjustment. Felicity could never cook, she was always a total disaster to the point where baking a birthday cake for him had once turned into an actual danger zone. However, the war has meant tighter pockets for all and their usual cook and cleaner had to take up responsibility on her husband’s farm when he left for the front, so Felicity has had to learn to make the basics or she would’ve gone hungry. 

It’s small things like these that Oliver is beginning to realize have had a huge impact on her life and her wellbeing whilst he’s been gone. Sure, she didn’t have to leave home and travel halfway around the world to fight an unknown enemy, risking her life every day, but she did have to deal with the consequences of _his_ doing that. 

It’s just been her and Archer, alone in this huge house for so long. Oliver knows that it cannot have been easy but seeing the reality of it is heart-breaking. He watches as Felicity moves through her morning routine in an almost ghost-like manner, she does so much clearly without thinking. Her movements are so dejected, comatose-almost, and it breaks Oliver’s heart to watch. 

He asked his mother when he got a moment alone with her during his reunion with her and his sister yesterday. 

“Oliver, my sweet boy, she’s not asking for you to go back and change things. She’s just asking for an acknowledgment now that these last years have changed her too and for the two of you to move forward together,” His mother explained and the words run through his mind now as he watches her pull on her coat and glance back at him nervously. 

“Felicity?” He questions, noting with glee the slight smile that crosses her face before she looks at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“Hmm?” 

“Do you think we might have dinner together tonight?” He questions, feeling as nervous as he was when he first asked her to dinner. His stomach flutters with butterflies, that nervous excitement dancing intensely within him. 

“Don’t we do that every night?” Felicity asks with a curious expression and Oliver smiles at the fact that it’s not an immediate no. 

“We do, but something special tonight? Leave it all to me?” He suggests, raising a nervous eyebrow and Oliver grins as Felicity blushes a little, a sheepish expression covering her face as she nods. 

“Alright,” She nods, shrugging her coat onto her shoulders and buttoning it over her pretty deep red sweater and tan skirt combo. She flicks her blonde hair out of the collar before she pulls on her gloves and Oliver smiles, leaning against the doorframe to the sitting room. It reminds him of mornings before the war when he often noted how much he enjoyed the role reversal that is so deep-rooted in their relationship. One of the main reasons his mother disapproved of Felicity, to begin with, was her work and ambition, her education, and following position at the university meaning she was never going to be the perfect housewife society deemed suitable for men of Oliver’s wealth and status. Oliver, however, has never minded one bit. In fact, he revels in the opportunity to see her off each morning, and he loves it as much now as he always has. 

“Excellent, I’ll see you tonight. Have a good day,” He smiles, pushing off of the doorframe to approach her. He goes slowly, awaiting any sign from her that she’s not welcoming his affection but she doesn’t give him any. Instead, she wraps a hand around his elbow, welcoming the kiss he presses to her cheek and reciprocating with her own to his cheek. 

“And you,” She smiles bashfully as they pull away, her eyes lingering on his for a moment before she smiles and opens the door, heading down the driveway to the gate, glancing back at him with a smirk as she does so. 

Oliver wastes no time once she drifts out of sight on her walk to the train station. He spends his entire day prepping and planning for dinner so that by the time Felicity arrives home from work, he’s ready. 

The food is almost cooked to perfection, the table is set beautifully if he does say so himself with candles and garlands he picked up from the florist in town, and he’s playing the record of the first concert they saw together, back when they were mere 19-year-olds, falling very quickly in love. 

‘I- Oliver, this is so beautiful,” Felicity comments as she steps into the dining room, looking back at him with wide, vulnerable eyes that are shining with an affection that thrums through Oliver with a warmth he’s so dearly missed. 

“Then it’s apt for the woman it’s all for,” Oliver replies with a smile, not minding the cheese when Felicity sends him a derisive look with a clear bashful undertone. 

“You always know just the right thing to say,” She comments with a smirk playing at her perfect lips as she shakes her head, and Oliver chuckles, shrugging his shoulders. 

“I like to think I’ve learned a few things through the years. Shall we?” He asks as he approaches the chair facing the window, pulling it out for his wife. Felicity smiles at him, blushing a little as she ducks her head in thanks whilst she slips into the seat, allowing Oliver to tuck her under the table. 

The conversation remains light throughout dinner. Oliver listens with rapt attention as she describes her day at the university, smiling at how much she clearly adores her job. She’s so glad that the campus is beginning to thrum with energy once more and Oliver is glad for her, grateful to see the way her eyes light up as if there’s a spark within them. 

They also discuss Oliver’s work, the charity initiatives he started as a 20-year old that have worked tirelessly throughout the war in order to help the young people of their town. Oliver’s due to return to work tomorrow and he cannot deny that he is looking forward to it greatly. Helping keep his city going is such fulfilling work and he’ll be grateful to return to it. 

“That was amazing,” Felicity sighs contently as she finishes off her last bite of creme brûlée, smiling warmly at him across the table. Whilst they had a cook before the war, it wasn’t a rare occasion when Oliver cooked for them instead, and he’s delighted to return to it. He’s noticed that Felicity has lost rather a bit of weight, most likely from stress over the past years and her disastrous nature in the kitchen. She’s as beautiful as ever but Oliver admits he’ll feel better to know that his cooking will help restore her health a little. 

“I’m so glad you enjoyed it,” He smiles just as warmly at her as she folds her napkin and places it next to her empty plate. 

“I loved it, but you know you don’t have to go to all this effort?” She questions with a quirked eyebrow, a small smirk playing on her lips. Oliver smiles too, grateful to see that she’s in a playful mood as he takes a deep breath. 

“I do know that but I wanted to have a proper conversation about this all and I figured a little romance wasn’t a bad way to start that,” He explains softly, folding his own napkin and looking at her nervously, a little scared of her reaction to that idea. 

“It’s a good foot to set out on, I’ll give you that,” Felicity nods slowly, the smirk turning into a small smile and Oliver takes a deep breath, allowing that to reassure him. 

“Are you okay with having that conversation?” He questions, wanting to be sure he’s not pushing her into something she doesn’t feel ready for. 

“Yes,” Felicity assures him, taking a deep breath of her own and Oliver smiles, taking a moment to compose himself before he speaks the words he’s been rehearsing all day. 

“I just want you to know that I am not expecting things to go back to the way that they were. I am not the man I was three years ago and I can’t expect you to be the woman you were either. Going to the front was my decision and I should’ve brought you into that decision, I realize that now and I can only apologize. I suppose what I want to know now is what you need going forward from me so that we can both respect the changes we’ve been through.” 

He watches Felicity carefully as he speaks, trying to garner her reaction as she clearly thinks deeply about what he’s saying. She doesn’t give much away, apart from a clear surprise which has Oliver wondering where he’s gone wrong to make her think that he wouldn’t respect her boundaries like this. 

“I… thank you,” She answers softly after a moment, the candlelight dancing off of her bright hair and bathing her in a glow that makes her look almost angelic. It reminds Oliver of just how lucky he is to call her his wife and he shakes his head, reaching out slowly to grasp her hand, smiling when she makes no move to pull away. 

“You don’t need to thank me, my darling, you are the love of my life, you always will be. I just want to make you happy,” Oliver assures her with a shake of his head but Felicity shakes hers too, squeezing his hand comfortingly. 

“Well I need to make an apology too,” She tells him in a soft voice, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear with her free hand. He knows it’s a nervous tell of hers and he frowns, jumping to reassure her. 

“That’s not…” 

“No, it is. I… I was so overwhelmed the other day, I never communicated to you just how happy I am to have you home, because I am, tremendously so, actually. I love you more than I think a human being should love another human being sometimes and that is certainly something that has not changed,” Felicity cuts in, shaking her head. Oliver gasps a little at the intensity of her words, the tears that build up inside her beautiful eyes belying just how much she means them. It grips Oliver’s heart, filling him with that same warmth he felt this morning and another feeling joins it… hope. Hope that’s comforting and warming like a cup of hot tea after a walk in the rain. It’s home. She’s home. 

“Well, I am very glad to hear that,” Oliver smirks, joking a little in an attempt to lighten the situation as he feels the tears grow in his own eyes. Felicity snorts, rolling her eyes and smacking her free hand gently against the one grasping her own. “I love you too.” 

Felicity smiles at Oliver’s words, sighing in the way that Oliver knows expresses contentment. It’s a sound he’s dearly missed and it clutches at the strings around his heart now, reminding him just Felicity’s happiness feeds his own. 

“Can I show you something?” She questions after a prolonged moment of eye contact, both of them feeling gentler than they have in years. 

“Of course,” Oliver assures her, keeping his hand clutched in her as she leads him from the table in the dining room and up the stairs to their bedroom. She tugs him through the adjoining door into her study where her writing desk is set up. He watches with rapt attention as she opens the drawer in the middle of the desk and removes a false bottom, pulling out a stack of letters tied up with a red ribbon that Oliver recognizes as the one she had tied in her hair on their first date. 

Oliver’s hands shake as Felicity hands the letters to him and he stares down at his own handwriting on the top envelope. Pulling the ribbon gently off, he sifts through them all, realizing that these are not only all of his letters from the front, but every letter he has ever written her. These tell the story of their courtship, engagement, all the way through to the one he sent home just three weeks ago, expressing how excited he was at the concept of returning home to her. 

He blinks a little, looking up at Felicity with teary eyes for the explanation he knows she’ll provide. 

“I kept them, every single one, and I think I must have read them all at least twenty times. Your words, just hearing from you, they kept me going. Your letters were a lifeline when I felt like I was drowning,” She tells him softly, her own tears slipping down her cheeks. Unlike the other day, Oliver is content in the notion that they’re tears of joy and it settles his beating heart and fluttering stomach. 

“Felicity... “ He whispers like a prayer, reaching into his own coat pocket and removing the stack of letters in Felicity’s hand that he has kept close to his heart all this time. 

“Oh,” She whispers as she looks at them, clearly confused that he’s carrying them in his regular suit jacket but when he changed out of his uniform upon his arrival home, he couldn’t bring himself to stop carrying the letters around, no matter how close to Felicity he is now. 

“These have meant everything to me these past years. I genuinely would not be standing here without them. Every time I thought about throwing myself over the trench and just letting them have me, I would grasp one of your letters and remember just how lucky I am to have you. I could never give that up, even to get out of that hellhole,” He explains to her softly, keeping his eyes locked on hers as he adds his letters to the top of hers and ties the ribbon around them all, sealing them all together, before pressing a kiss to the top of the bow and placing them back in the safety of her hidden drawer. 

“I love you,” Felicity whispers as she steps towards him and Oliver’s heart skips a beat at the sound of her words, elation dancing through him as she slides her hands shakily up his chest to loop around his neck. 

“I love you so much,” He whispers back reverently, gripping her waist as his mind reels at the thought of finally, finally, being here with her. 

“Going forward, please talk to me about your decisions and just in general. I know it’s hard for you but I will lose it if I cannot know just a little of what’s going on in your head,” Felicity tells him gently but with an admonishment in her eyes and Oliver takes a deep breath, nodding his head. 

“So long as you promise to do the same,” He counters seriously, and Felicity smiles, inclining her head in a ‘touché’ motion. 

“We have ourselves a deal, Mr. Queen,” She smirks as she rises onto her toes, bringing herself slowly closer to him in a way that has Oliver’s hands shaking as he fights the urge to pull her tightly against him. 

“I am very glad to hear it, Mrs. Queen,” He smiles back at her, wanting nothing more than to lift her into his arms and finally kiss her but holding back to allow her to move at her pace. 

“Shall we seal it?” She questions, however, and Oliver grins at the thought of them finally being on the same page. 

“Please, I’ve been dying to kiss you for three years and three days,” He groans, and Felicity chuckles, pushing up into the tips of her toes in the final move to press her lips against his own. 

Elysium spreads through Oliver as he finally kisses his wife in greeting after being parted for so long. It’s pure bliss and Oliver finally feels ready to take that step to cross the precipice into peacetime. 

“Welcome home, my soldier,” Felicity whispers as they pull apart, their eyes meeting for just a moment before Oliver surges back in, intent on a very thorough welcome home. 

_Welcome home, indeed._

  
  



End file.
